Since becoming Japanese prime minister for a second time in 2012, Shinzō Abe has sought to remake Japan’s national security posture so that the country can play a more active role in international affairs. Abe’s reforms clearly constitute a transformational project, aimed at remoulding the fundamentals of Japanese strategic thinking. However, do Abe’s efforts constitute a coherent set of foreign and security policy principles or an “Abe Doctrine”? As Japan’s “chief diplomat,” Abe remains an ambiguous figure.